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Hi Connie! It’s entirely possible that Negra has some muscle weakness or stiffness associated with aging. She’s had the same gait since she arrived here in 2008, so it doesn’t seem to be worsening, and it definitely doesn’t seem to keep her from doing anything she wants to do. She’s actually lost a little weight and become more active over the years! It’s hard to say whether she spends a lot of time in bed because she’s stiff, or whether she’s stiff because she spends a lot of time in bed. 🙂

Oops, I forgot to answer the other part of your question. There is recent research that shows that elderly chimpanzees can develop the same plaques and tangles that cause Alzheimer’s in humans, though it’s not clear whether they experience dementia. We haven’t noticed any particular signs of confusion or dementia in Negra – I think what you’re seeing in this video is a slightly distracted Negra who was pretty ambivalent about being outside in the first place trying to decide whether to follow Jody back in. 🙂